Resume and Narrative Instructions for MSW and MPH Application

Submit your narrative statement and resume in either a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. Submit them as two separate documents. The total length of your narrative statement should not exceed four pages, double-spaced.

Narrative Statement

The narrative statement must include the following sections and points:

Service Experience

What have you done to make the world a better place? Please consider any of the following areas in your response to this section:

  • Community engagement
  • Professional experience
  • Human/social service experience
  • Volunteer experience
  • Internships
  • Public health activity
  • Social and environmental justice activity
  • Advocacy

Personal Narrative

  • Describe an experience experience you have had in working across lines of diversity or in overcoming adversity. How has this experience informed your interest in pursuing a coordinated degree in public health and social work?
  • What social, public health or societal problem do you care most about and what would you propose the social work and public health fields do to address this problem?
  • Why and how do you think the coordinated MPH and MSW degree program best suits your career and professional goals?
  • Optional – What else would you like for us to know about you? In this section, other students have talked about speaking a second language, when they first came to the U.S., being a first generation college student, international experiences (study abroad, travel in other countries), or life experiences that have influenced their choice of social work and/or public health as a career.

Education

Respond to the points in this section only as applicable to your situation.

  • If you are not providing a reference that is from an academic, college-level instructor, please explain.
  • If your GPA is below 3.0 or you do not feel that your academic record accurately reflects your ability, please explain.
  • If your GPA is below 3.0 what plans or safeguards have you or could you put in place to help you excel and meet the rigorous demands of graduate school?

Resume

Create a resume in the structure of your choosing.

Include in your resume:

  1. Dates and information related to your undergraduate and any graduate level education.
  2. Your professional work history. Include social work, public health, and other work, and any unpaid service.
  3. Experiences such as field placements, internships, volunteer work, community engagement, social justice activities, or research.